Teamsters Canada said early on Wednesday it has notified Canadian Pacific Railway that workers will go on strike starting April 21 following a stalemate in negotiations between the two parties.
Teamsters Canada, which is affiliated to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, said it has issued railway operator Canadian Pacific with a formal 72 hours notice of intent to strike.
According to Reuters, Canadian Pacific was not immediately available for comment outside business hours.
The stand-off comes at a time when CP and rival Canadian National Railway are facing strong demand for grain shipments and other commodities.
On April 13, the company told Reuters it was unable to reach an agreement with two of its unions – Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Train & Engine (TCRC) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
CP had then said it was working with the union bodies to come to an agreement, adding that meeting the demands of TCRC will result in a 24 percent rise in payroll costs and IBEW’s demands will cost it 25 per cent higher in payroll costs, over the next three years.
Teamsters Canada represents about 3,000 train conductors and engineers, while the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is negotiating on behalf of about 360 signal maintainers.
(Canadian Press)
